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Butler County’s center of outdoor life is Moraine State
Park. With 3,225-acre Lake Arthur and more than 16,000
unspoiled acres waiting to be explored, outdoor activities
are plentiful. Butler County is also home to many other
places popular with outdoor enthusiasts. Highlights include:
Horseback Riding
- We are pleased to
announce that horseback riding is now available at Moraine
State Park. Moraine Trails LLC. offers hour long rides
of the park. Four hour rides including lunch are also
available.
Hiking
- Moraine State Park offers six scenic hiking trails
ranging in both difficulty and distance (up to 14 miles).
The trailheads are accessible at various locations
throughout the park. If you are interested in butterflies,
walk the Native Plant Butterfly Trail (Butterfly
Trail Map-pdf) created by the Moraine
Preservation Fund. The trail, which begins at McDanel’s
Launch, is a self-guided trail and you can learn about the
area’s native plants and butterflies, some of which are
endangered species. Enjoy the pond, bridges, arbor, gazebo
and boardwalk as you make your way on the trail. During your
hike, look for signs and educational kiosks that explain the
sights you are observing. Another interesting trail
that runs through Moraine State Park is the North Country
National Scenic Trail. This trail runs more than 4,000 miles
from North Dakota to New York. Moraine’s 14-mile Glacier
Ridge Trail is designated as part of the North Country
Trail. Visitors can hike five miles of trails at Jennings
Environmental Education Center. The trails traverse stream
valleys, woodlands and a 20-acre prairie ecosystem, the only
public and protected prairie in Pennsylvania.
Todd Sanctuary is the Audobon Society of Western
Pennsylvania’s first reserve. The 176-acre nature sanctuary
has five miles of hiking trails (seven trails total) through
many diverse locations including: oak-hickory forest,
hemlock forest, old logging sites, an old limestone quarry,
a pond, meadows and streams. For visitor safety, Todd
Sanctuary is closed during deer hunting season because
hunting is permitted on the surrounding property.
Biking - Moraine State
Park offers a paved biking trail near the Lake Arthur’s
north shore that is 7.5 miles (one way). A bicycle rental
office is open daily Memorial Day through Labor Day.
Adventurous mountain bikers can access a seven mile loop
trail that offers steep and rough surfaces in the park’s
North Shore area. Outside of the park, the Butler-Freeport
Trail features 15 miles of a crushed limestone surface that
is ideal for hiking, walking, bicycling, jogging and
cross-country skiing. An additional five miles of unfinished
trail can be used for hiking and mountain biking.
Disc Golf
- Moraine State Park now offers a Disc Golf course in the
Lake View area of the park. This course is designed as
a championship level course, with two par 5s, eight par 4s,
and challenging par 3s. Accuracy is a must, both off the tee
and on approach shots. Bad shots are penalized and good
shots rewarded. The views and scenery on the course are
spectacular, and the fairways are covered in carpets of
moss. Know what poison ivy looks like and take water on the
course. A round of golf at Moraine is a strenuous but
rewarding workout. The Department of Conservation and
Natural Resources has done an excellent job of installing
and maintaining this disc golf facility. For more
information:
http://www.pfds.org/course_moraine.html
Swimming
- Two swimming areas (one with a sand beach) are available
along Lake Arthur’s shoreline. These areas are popular spots
for summer fun.
Boating - There are
plenty of opportunities in Butler County for sailing,
kayaking and canoeing. Lake Arthur boasts more than 3,200
acres of water to boat on. Bring your own or rent a craft
from Crescent Bay Marina & Boat Rental on the South Shore of
Moraine State Park. Everything from a kayak to deluxe
pontoons are available to you.
Hunting - Butler County
has three major State Gamelands. Gameland 95 is the largest
at 9,383 acres and features Harbor Acres Lake. Half of the
lake and part of the shoreline is closed to hunting (275
acres). The area is a great spot to hunt bear, deer, turkey,
small game and waterfowl. Osprey and bald eagle nests can
also be found. Gameland 164 features deer and bear on its
456 acres. Gameland 304 has 457 acres and is noted for its
turkey population. Hunting is permitted in
approximately 13,600 acres of Moraine State Park. Trapping
and training of dogs is also allowed during established
seasons. Hunters enjoy the large populations of waterfowl,
deer, turkey, grouse, bear, rabbit, pheasant and squirrel in
the park.
Fishing -
Whether you’re looking for the chance to get your kids
reconnected with nature and you, or maybe you’re a die-hard
angler seeking a trophy, Butler County offers the perfect
fishing destination. From fly fishing on wild trout streams
to family fishing fun at picturesque lakes, Butler County
has it all. So pick up your reel, bait and tackle and get
hooked on fishing in Butler County!
Winter Sports
- Butler County’s outdoor fun gets a second wind when the
temperatures plummet. During the winter months, Moraine
State Park becomes a winter wonderland with ice fishing, ice
sailing or ice skating on the lake. Miles of trails also are
used for snowmobiling, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.
A sledding hill is available on the South Shore.
Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing also are available on
the trails at Jennings Environmental Education Center. |
Birdwatching
- Moraine State Park is a great place to spot our
feathered friends. Loons, warblers, bald eagles, herons
and osprey are among the many species that can be found
throughout the park’s nearly 16,000 acres. The waterfowl
observation deck located off of Rt. 528 is a nice
sheltered area to watch bird life. Many neotropical
migrators also can be found throughout the park.
An abundance of bird species also can be found among the
prairie and woodlands at Jennings Environmental
Education Center. Goldfinches, song and field sparrows,
swallows, bluebirds, flycatchers and woodcocks are among
the many birds that can be spotted throughout the
Center’s 300 acres. Visit Jennings’ prairie area on
Spring evenings to witness the Woodcock’s amazing
courtship ritual!
Todd Sanctuary is part of the Buffalo Creek Valley
Important Bird Area, one of only 80 designated areas in
the state. The 176-acre nature sanctuary has five miles
of trails through forests, streams and a pond. For
visitor safety Todd Sanctuary is closed during deer
hunting season.
Moraine Preservation Fund operates the
Barn Owl Propagation Program. The barn owl, a species of
"special concern" in Pennsylvania, has nearly
disappeared in recent years from wide sections of its
former range due to loss of habitat and use of
rodenticides (rat poisons). Moraine Preservation Fund
has been raising barn owls to replenish the wild
population. This past year, the Moraine Preservation
Fund received a grant from the Pittsburgh Foundation,
with the Pittsburgh Zoo receiving a matching grant, to
put telemetry bands on the barn owls in order to track
their movements once they are released. This is the 8th
year of the barn owl program.
For urban bird watching, downtown Butler offers great
views of Nighthawks. Look for them during the summer
nights flying around the illuminated courthouse on Main
Street. |
